34+35
"34+35" is a song by American singer-songwriter Ariana Grande, released on November 3, 2020, by Republic Records as the second official single from her sixth studio album Positions. Written by Grande, Albert Stanaj, Courageous Xavier Herrera, Scott Nicholson, Steven Franks, Tayla Parx, Victoria Monét, and its producers Peter Lee Johnson and Tommy Brown, the song has a title and chorus that both reference the 69 sex position, while the rest of its lyrics feature several sexual puns, double entendres, and sex jokes.
"34+35" debuted at number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Grande's 18th top ten single, and later rose to reach a peak of number two for two non-consecutive weeks, becoming her 12th top-five single. It also debuted at number five on the Billboard Global 200, becoming Grande's second top ten single on the chart; it later reached a peak of number two there. Additionally, "34+35" peaked within the top ten in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Malaysia, Singapore and the United Kingdom, becoming Grande's 19th top ten single in the latter.
Its music video, directed by Director X, premiered on November 17, 2020. A remix of the song, featuring American rappers Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion, was released on January 15, 2021. A live performance video of "34+35" was released on July 15, 2021.
Background and promotion
"34+35" was first revealed when Grande announced the track list of Positions via social media on October 24, 2020. Grande started working on the song in 2019, and finished it in September 2020 after she decided it was going to be on the album. It was originally intended to be the lead single of the album before being replaced by title track "Positions", after Grande decided that it was more appropriate as it gave a more accurate representation of the album. Given the explicit nature of the song, which has been compared to Grande's past works such as "Side to Side" and "Dangerous Woman", Grande said that she was "very nervous" about the song initially, fearing that it would "distract from the vulnerability and the sweetness that is the rest of the album". She stated that it was sonically "one of favorite things ever done", adding: "it deserve a home on the album for sure...I think that everything I do has a little bit of humor, and the people know that I'm not really sitting here 'til dawn."To promote the song, Grande released a "34+35 dad hat" on her official merchandise store, which features "34+35" graphics embroidered on the front of a baseball cap. "34+35" was sent to contemporary hit radio in Australia and the United States on October 30 and November 3, 2020, respectively. It was later sent to hot adult contemporary radio on January 19, 2021. A lyric video was released on YouTube on October 30, 2020.
Composition
"34+35" is an uptempo pop and R&B song with an instrumentation utilizing violins, plucked strings, and elements of trap music. The song is written with a tempo of 110 beats per minute in the key of F major, while Grande's vocals range from a low note of G3 to a high note of F5. The song's lyrics include sexual puns, double entendres, and sex jokes, while the song's title and chorus reference to the 69 sex position, with the outro's lyrics including "Means I wanna 69 witcha". Other lyrics include explicit sexual references, such as "Can you stay up all night?/Fuck me 'til the daylight”. The song was written about Grande's sex life with her then-boyfriend Dalton Gomez. According to Grande, the line, "Just gimme them babies" was suggested by songwriter Scott Nicholson as a joke to complete the first verse, on the night they started writing the song, but she liked it so much that it ended up in the final version. The earthquake referenced in the third verse was based on an actual earthquake of magnitude 4.5 that occurred in Southern California in September 2020. Grande wrote the bridge together with songwriters Tayla Parx and Victoria Monét.Mary Siroky of Consequence of Sound called the track "overwhelmingly playful" and "no-holds-barred", with Heather Taylor-Singh of Exclaim! writing that it featured an "overt sexiness". Adam White of The Independent called the song's lyrics "dirty-minded" and "cutely tongue-in-cheek", while Brenton Blanchet of Clash regarded "34+35" as "Grande's most sexually explicit track yet". Similarly, Natalie Morin of Refinery29 named the song "Grande's sex magnum opus".
Critical reception
On his ranking of every song on Positions, where "34+35" was positioned at number two, Jason Lipshutz of Billboard praised Grande for being one of the "few artists working today could release an explicit sex track that sounds this luxurious and ornately detailed", describing the song as "unapologetic and dizzyingly fun, with Grande shrugging off the need for euphemism and rightfully confident in her approach". Writing for The Line of Best Fit, Ross Horton identified "34+35" as the best song on and the "mission statement" for the album, writing that "the amount of puns, double entendres and jokes littered throughout is staggering".Varietys Chris Willman remarked that "34+35" was "a little bit on the schoolgirl-sniggering side" and that the outro's literalization of the song's 69 joke was "unnecessary". Shaad D'Souza of The Fader referred to the song as a "hammy ode to 69-ing" which "makes no attempts at even the most vaguely clever innuendo". Slant Magazines Alexa Camp considered the song's lyrics "a lot of empty pillow talk and plentiful dog whistles." Emma Madden of Entertainment Weekly criticized the song's lyrics, writing, "Grande sings that she was 'never good' in math class on '34+35,' and it seems she might be equally bad at math-related wordplay."
Year-end lists
Uproxx ranked "34+35" as the 9th best song of 2020, with Caitlin White commenting that the song is more carefree and funnier than the lead single "Positions", and that it "has all the makings of a late album hit, and will go down in Ari's catalogue as one of her most clever offerings". LaTesha Harris from NPR ranked "34+35" as the 8th best song of 2020. Tidal ranked "34+35" as the 32nd best pop song of 2020. Jessica McKinney of Complex ranked "34+35" as the 42nd best song of 2020. Calling its production "immaculate", she commented that the song is "sexually explicit, seductive, luxurious, and elegant, guided by Grande's sultry vocals".Accolades
Commercial performance
United States
Following the release of Positions, "34+35" debuted at number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart issue dated November 14, 2020, drawing in 21.7 million streams, 5.7 million airplay audience impressions and 3,000 digital downloads sold within its first tracking week. It became Grande's eighteenth top ten single, tying her with Beyoncé for the eighth-most among women in the chart's 62-year history. Since earning her first top-ten hit with "The Way" in April 2013, no other female artist has earned as many Hot 100 top ten hits as Grande. The remix of "34+35" with Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion soared to a new peak of number two on the Hot 100; several weeks later, the original version also reached the same position. Helped by the release of the music video of the remix, "34+35" re-peaked at number two on the chart dated February 27, 2021, drawing in 18.1 million streams, 60.2 million airplay audience impressions and 16,000 digital downloads sold within its 16th tracking week. This time Grande was solely credited on the chart. It marked Grande's twelfth top-five hit on the Hot 100, and the second track off of Positions to do so after its title track.On the US Billboard Mainstream Top 40 airplay chart, "34+35" peaked at number one on the issue dated February 13, 2021, becoming the second consecutive chart topper from the parent album Positions and earning Grande her eighth number one single and 18th overall top ten single. It replaced Grande's own "Positions" which dominated the chart for seven consecutive weeks, making Grande the first artist to succeed herself at number one as the only act credited on both tracks. Joining Mariah Carey, Outkast, Iggy Azalea and Halsey, Grande also became just the fifth artist in Billboard history to replace themselves on the Pop Songs airplay chart. It remained at number one for a second consecutive week. The same week Grande simultaneously occupied the top two of pop airplay chart with "34+35" and "Positions", making Grande the first artist to simultaneously occupy the top two with two solo songs. Joining Mariah Carey, Outkast, Pharrell Williams, Iggy Azalea and Halsey, Grande also became just the sixth artist in Billboard history to simultaneously occupy the entire top two of Pop Songs airplay chart. It remained at number one for three consecutive weeks. It also peaked at number one on the Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 airplay chart on the issue dated March 13, 2021, becoming Grande's third number one hit and 13th overall top ten single on the rhythmic airplay chart.
On October 31, 2025, "34+35" was certified 5× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for moving 5 million units in the United States.
Other territories
Globally, "34+35" debuted at number five on the Billboard Global 200 chart issue dated November 9, 2020, becoming Grande's second top ten hit. With the help of "34+35" and "Positions", the latter of which was at number one, Grande became the first woman, and third artist overall, joining Justin Bieber and BTS, with two top five hits apiece on the Global 200 so far.In Canada, "34+35" entered the Canadian Hot 100 chart at number eight on the issue dated November 14, 2020, becoming Grande's 18th top ten single in the country. Following the release of the remix featuring Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion, "34+35" reached a peak of number five on the issue dated January 30, 2021, becoming the second top five hit from the parent album Positions.
In the United Kingdom, "34+35" debuted at number nine on the UK Singles Chart on the week ending November 12, 2020, becoming Grande's 19th top ten entry in Britain. It rebounded to a new peak of number eight on the week ending January 14, 2021. Following the release of the remix featuring Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion, "34+35" reached a peak of number three on the week ending January 28, 2021, becoming Grande's 15th top five hit in the United Kingdom. On October 15, 2021, "34+35" was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for moving 600,000 units in the United Kingdom. In Ireland, "34+35" debuted at number four on the Irish Singles Chart, becoming Grande's 18th top ten single in the country.
"34+35" also achieved success in Oceania; the song debuted at number nine on the ARIA Singles Chart, earning Grande her 17th top ten single in the country. Following the release of the remix featuring Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion, "34+35" reached a new peak of number five on the ARIA Singles Chart, becoming the second top five hit from Positions after the title track which debuted and peaked at number one. In New Zealand, "34+35" peaked at number three on the New Zealand Singles Chart chart issue dated January 25, 2021.